I was talking about this in a discord server and I thought it'd make an interesting discussion. Do you think there was a bigger transition between 2012-2016 or 2016-2020 in terms of culture?

I feel like this really depends on what specific culture. If we're talking about fashion and music, then I feel like there was a bigger change between 2012-2016. When it comes to politics though, then I feel like there's a bigger difference between 2016 - now due to Trump being president and of course the coronavirus pandemic.

I was talking about this in a discord server and I thought it'd make an interesting discussion. Do you think there was a bigger transition between 2012-2016 or 2016-2020 in terms of culture?

I feel like this really depends on what specific culture. If we're talking about fashion and music, then I feel like there was a bigger change between 2012-2016. When it comes to politics though, then I feel like there's a bigger difference between 2016 - now due to Trump being president and of course the coronavirus pandemic.


Definitely 2012 to 2016. We went from talking about President Obama, Game of Thrones, Marvel’s The Avengers, and Instagram to seeing MAGA hats in stores, discussing Netflix’s Stranger Things, seeing The Force Awakens many times, and using Snapchat.

2012-2016 for sure

The difference between 2012 and 2016 is staggering.

2016-2020 for sure.
Who cares about pop culture when you can't even go to bars, clubs, and restaurants anymore? Even once this whole quarantine thing is said and done, the aftermath will feature a society tainted by being isolated for so long.

2016-2020 for sure.
Who cares about pop culture when you can't even go to bars, clubs, and restaurants anymore? Even once this whole quarantine thing is said and done, the aftermath will feature a society tainted by being isolated for so long.

I mean you're not wrong.  ;D

2016-2020 for sure.
Who cares about pop culture when you can't even go to bars, clubs, and restaurants anymore? Even once this whole quarantine thing is said and done, the aftermath will feature a society tainted by being isolated for so long.


These were my thoughts as well.

In terms of social communication and the way we live I’d say 2016-2020. There has been more change from the time of the Us elections till now than 2012-2016. Even in terms of pop culture 2016-2020 became more darker. This Coronavirus will also change a lot globally.

As much as the coronavirus pandemic changed life as we know it, I would still go with 2012-2016.

The political, musical, and social dynamics between 2012 and 2016 is like night and day.

In 2012, people weren't as offended, toxic or sensitive as opposed to 2016.

The 2016-2020 transition is still following the PC/woke culture that was notable around 2015-ish (but not as strong), so even with the pandemic, we still have that in our midst.

2012 - 2016 had much more of a transition. Things only started feeling different from 2016 recently with the corona virus stuff. 2019 was pretty much exactly the same as 2016 in all ways that matter, it was the same era. Now I believe we're leaving that era, away from the late 2010s and into the early 2020s culture.

I'll have to go with 2012-2016 only because it had a fairly smooth but still very obvious transition with a bunch of events that felt like pretty major turning points: transition to the streaming world, meme culture exploding in popularity, video-based social media like Vine coming into the landscape, the flat UI taking over, electropop's fall and trap domination, ISIS, Brexit, Trump, ... The mid-2010s were crazy :o

2017 to 2019 feels like one pretty consistent period in comparison where things builded off, with only 2020 really standing out of the bunch due to a unfortunate event.

I'll have to go with 2012-2016 only because it had a fairly smooth but still very obvious transition with a bunch of events that felt like pretty major turning points: transition to the streaming world, meme culture exploding in popularity, video-based social media like Vine coming into the landscape, the flat UI taking over, electropop's fall and trap domination, ISIS, Brexit, Trump, ... The mid-2010s were crazy :o

2017 to 2019 feels like one pretty consistent period in comparison where things builded off, with only 2020 really standing out of the bunch due to a unfortunate event.


I agree. Maybe when the virus dwindles down sometime later this year, we could see a cultural shift after people are free to go back to their normal, yet altered lives.

2017 to 2019 feels like one pretty consistent period in comparison where things builded off, with only 2020 really standing out of the bunch due to a unfortunate event.

Why are you leaving out 2016 though?  ???

Why are you leaving out 2016 though?  ???


Perhaps, it could be because 2016 was the last year of the mid 2010s?  ???

Perhaps, it could be because 2016 was the last year of the mid 2010s?  ???

No, 2015 was.

No, 2015 was.


I’m sorry, Slim95, but I’m going to have to disagree with you on that.

No, 2015 was.

Yeah, this ain’t it.

Yeah, this ain’t it.

That was the final full year of the mid 2010s. Donald Trump was already on the scene in mid 2015 and mainstream music already became more EDM-infused over teen pop by then.

That was the final full year of the mid 2010s. Donald Trump was already on the scene in mid 2015.

IMO Late 2010's culture started in late 2016. That was when Vine closed down and Trump was officially elected as president. The majority of 2016 was still culturally very mid-2010's.

IMO Late 2010's culture started in late 2016. That was when Vine closed down and Trump was officially elected as president. The majority of 2016 was still culturally very mid-2010's.


I view 2016, like 2013, as a transitional year in pop culture. Things were highly volatile in early-mid 2016 thanks to the divisive political climate of the election, but the culture got even darker and more toxic after Trump's win.

Looking back at the year retrospectively, pop music was hanging on the balance between EDM and trap, so that enhances my belief of 2016 being transitional.

I view 2016, like 2013, as a transitional year in pop culture. Things were highly volatile in early-mid 2016 thanks to the divisive political climate of the election, but the culture got even darker and more toxic after Trump's win.

Looking back at the year retrospectively, pop music was hanging on the balance between EDM and trap, so that enhances my belief of 2016 being transitional.

EDM is a late '10s thing though and it continued on in 2017 and 2018.

EDM is a late '10s thing though and it continued on in 2017 and 2018.


I disagree. It definitely had its mainstream boost by 2012 with DJs like Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, and David Guetta.

That was the final full year of the mid 2010s. Donald Trump was already on the scene in mid 2015 and mainstream music already became more EDM-infused over teen pop by then.

That’s entirely subjective on your part.

Donald Trump was elected in late 2016. Stranger Things premiered in 2016. The first male CoverBoy posed for his cover in 2016. Lastly, Pokèmon Go was America’s favorite game app. 2016 was the final full year of the mid 2010s and I provided the evidence of that.

That’s entirely subjective on your part.

Donald Trump was elected in late 2016. Stranger Things premiered in 2016. The first male CoverBoy posed for his cover in 2016. Lastly, Pokèmon Go was America’s favorite game app. 2016 was the final full year of the mid 2010s and I provided the evidence of that.

Donald Trump came into the political scene in mid 2015

Donald Trump came into the political scene in mid 2015


That was not as important as Donald Trump getting elected in 2016.

I disagree. It definitely had its mainstream boost by 2012 with DJs like Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, and David Guetta.

Electropop is technically a sub-genre of EDM. Those DJs you mentioned are typically in the House category, so the overall genre got popular in 2009, which was way earlier lol.

Electropop is technically a sub-genre of EDM. Those DJs you mentioned are typically in the House category, so the overall genre got popular in 2009, which was way earlier lol.


While that's true, I've heard the "EDM" term being marketed upon those DJs around 2013, so I usually use that towards them.

There are different kinds of EDM the one I was talking about is the one where pop music had those weird repetitive noises you didn't hear than until 2016 in the mainstream. But of course all throughout the decade EDM was big. But in 2014 for example the pop music you heard was more teen pop with less EDM influence than in 2016. I think the confusion comes from thinking the changes that took place in 2016 were mid 2010s things while I see them more as late 2010s things.

The former category was more transformative culturally, the latter more transformative politically and even technologically.

There are different kinds of EDM the one I was talking about is the one where pop music had those weird repetitive noises you didn't hear than until 2016 in the mainstream. But of course all throughout the decade EDM was big. But in 2014 for example the pop music you heard was more teen pop with less EDM influence than in 2016. I think the confusion comes from thinking the changes that took place in 2016 were mid 2010s things while I see them more as late 2010s things.


Slim, you're just objectively wrong ;D. Like Sman said, EDM (the kind of 'EDM' that we associate with the cultural 2010s) started to get big in 2012, although it was really in 2013 where it started to overtake 'electropop' (the 2009-2012 era's version of electronic music). If you were to say that "Disco got big in 1980" or "Grunge got big in 1994", etc. etc., that would be factually wrong. Even if you want to claim that EDM changed in 2016, while that is a rather subjective interpretation, it's still not a widely accepted viewpoint.